What Do We Send Our Childern to College For?

What Do Our Children Do in the Future?

I have to say I am very concerend. Growing up as a kid, I never once thought "what am I going to do when I grow up?". I just always knew that I would do something, and have a good job and support my family. My dad, however, was adament that I would go to College and he didn't care what for, but I would go and get a degree. (I also hear this from my friends today who are my age and now they believe that their kids need to have a Masters in order to be successful in the world today.)

I wish that I had been given some guidance back then, in high school, as to what I could do and what may be interesting, not based on test scores and what my interests may have been then, but what was going on in the world then and into the future.

For example, in high school, I didn't know much about software at all, I wasn't using a computer until college and I did write some programs in college, but it was for a specific homework purpose but not for developing skills and thoughts around how software would / could change the world.

My first job out of college was with Parametric Technology. A huge software company. I fell intno this job. I went to school to be an mechanical engineer and after 80 resumes went out in 1991 and no job, these guys called me because they are a CAD vendor for mechanical products and thought I would be a fit. I took a job in support and had to learn software, unix, scripting etc... Now to my dad's credit, having good skills in "learning" from college, helped me do a very good job at my new company, but I still wonder how, based on how I grew up, I ever ended up in software.

The next question is, what do I do as a parent (not yet but hopfully soon) to prepare my kids to think of the world and its possiblities in 20 years. Skills that I see that are always transferable are:

• Sales skills / negtation skills
• A talent such as music (singing, instrument)
• Good manners
• Public Speaking

I am sure there are others so these are a good start, but in the global economy of 2025 what will be an important job for my kids to desire. With things like more and more software going overseas, developer may not be a great job.

I see a huge push in the on-line world with things like Second Life, Current TV (VC2), You Tube, Google etc... What are going to be the things to pay attention to in the future. How about dealing with global taxation on internet money? And what degree to you go get to prepare for that in the future.

I will keep thinking but if you have any qood ideas, I am all ears.